I continue my journey through the Land of Luther, all as part of the project I’m calling EPIC. Today we visited Erfurt where Luther entered a monastery and began life as a monk. Here are a few notes and a couple of photos.

I’m not sure the news will ever be the same after the presidency of Donald Trump. While the industry has already been in a long decline, it seems to have entered into an era of near-insanity as the networks and websites compete against one another to set new standards in thoughtless, bloviating reporting. Whether those networks love or hate the president, they seem to be tripping over themselves and one another to say the most the fastest, to constantly editorialize …

Today’s Kindle deals include a few books you may want to add to your collection. Death on Demand? Once again, we turn to Holland for a warning of the “progress” that comes with the acceptance of assisted suicide. Iceland’s Future: Clear, Bright and Cold Iceland is celebrating that they have pretty much eliminated Downs Syndrome. But the way they did so is chilling. (See also this by Joe Carter.) The Elvis Phenomenon 40 years ago Elvis died, and R.C. Sproul …

The EPIC trip to Germany continues. Yesterday we toured Wittenberg (where Luther lived, taught, preached, and, of course, nailed those 95 Theses to the door) and today we spent time in Eisleben (where Luther was born and died). As before, click any image to see it larger.

It happens. We wish it didn’t happen and perhaps even try to pretend it doesn’t happen. But the tragic and undeniable reality is that there is abuse within the church. I recently spoke with Boz Tchividjian to ask some key questions for every Christian and every church. How prevalent is child sexual abuse in the Christian community? In the Protestant community specifically? Research has consistently found that approximately 1 in 4 females and 1 in 6 males will be sexually victimized …

Today’s Kindle deals include a few deals from a few different authors. Westminster Books has a deal on the flagship ESV Bible. A Relationship, Not a Religion? Here’s an argument that you ought to stop saying, “It’s a relationship, not a religion.” In the Steps of Charles Spurgeon Trevin Wax shares a photo essay of sorts as he follows in Spurgeon’s steps. Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets? Why do we, even when it’s hot? Is this the Humble Way? …

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I decided to begin the “Ask Me Anything” feature as a means of answering some of the questions I receive from readers of this site. Over the past few weeks I’ve received mountains of them, so please forgive me if I haven’t been able to take a shot at answering yours. Meanwhile, here are a few more attempts to answer a few more questions. I serve as pastor of Congregational Care in a large evangelical church. Recently our lead pastor …

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of timely books. The End Of An Era Conrad Mbewe has a beautiful blog post about Erroll Hulse. It’s worth reading even if you don’t know either man! Shining Divine Light in the Darkest Places Vance Christie continues his series of short historical articles with a look at Corrie Ten Boom. Christians Should Be Motivated to Minister to Homeless People “No matter where you live, there are men and women longing to set their …

From the beginning, the G3 Conference has existed for the purpose of encouraging pastors and helping the local church. That same vision remains at the forefront of what we do each January as we assemble for a weekend of preaching, singing, studying, and fellowshipping under the banner of the gospel.

This coming January, the focus of the G3 Conference will be centered on discipleship (English and Spanish tracks available). The theme is: Knowing God — A Biblical Understanding of Discipleship. Discipleship is not one of the things that the church does—it’s what the church does.

Unfortunately, many churches in the evangelical world today have fallen into two very troublesome ditches. The first ditch is called traditionalism and it keeps a church in constant decline because the vision is focused on historical traditions rather than God’s Word. The second ditch is pragmatism and it keeps a church “growing” through additives to God’s Word as opposed to sola Scriptura.

Some facets of life in our modern world are made more difficult than they really need to be. They have been debated and written about to such a degree that they’ve become almost impossibly complicated. I’m convinced that one such area is leadership, and especially leadership in the home and family. What should be clear has become woefully muddied. Meanwhile, our world is crying out for leadership—good leadership, confident leadership, humble leadership, the kind of leadership that uses authority to …

Today’s Kindle deals include a series that will have special appeal to people with an interest in theology. Shai Linne: Dear CHH Fans of Christian hip-hop will want to read Shai Linne’s impassioned letter to the fans and artists involved in the genre. The Lessons of History and the Heresy of Racial Superiority Al Mohler pens a letter from Berlin. “The lessons of history are warning enough. The lessons of heresy are even more pressing. Brothers and sisters in Christ, …

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My EPIC journey has begun and the first trip is taking me to … Germany. My plan for this trip is not to blog about what I’m doing, but to journal about it the old-fashioned way. Like this: (click any of the images to see them bigger) I will provide another update on Monday.

It has been an excellent couple of weeks for letters to the editor and I found it tough to narrow down the list to just a few. But here are the ones that most stood out to me. I hope you read and enjoy them! Letters on Beware (and Embrace) the Power of Story Tim: I’ll be honest and admit I don’t exactly know all the author of this comment is trying to say, but I want to give him …

This weekend I am setting out on the biggest project I’ve ever attempted, a project that will take me around the world and through the ages. In a series of journeys that will unfold over the next couple of years, I will travel to the four corners of the earth to complete research for a forthcoming book. I can’t say too much about the book at the moment except that I hope it will provide a unique and compelling take …

Westminster Books has a solid deal on a set of books meant to protect children in local churches. Someone in every church needs to take on this responsibility! (Yesterday at the blog I wrote about our culture’s shift in the way it pressures people to conform to societal expectations. Western culture has long been obsessed with guilt and innocence, but is now emphasizing shame and honor. Read more in The New/Old Way Our Culture Pressures Us To Conform.) Answering Questions …

Every culture has certain standards that distinguish good and respectable people from the bad and disreputable people. Every culture has ways of compelling people to adhere to its standards. Some force adherence through guilt, some through fear, and some through shame. In a guilt-innocence culture, your standing before others depends upon your level of guilt or innocence. Your reputation is measured by adherence to laws, so nations and cities and even organizations all have their laws carefully codified. If you …

I dug up a few Kindle deals for you today, with most of them related to parenting. (Yesterday at the blog I wrote about Christian “experts” on marriage and parenting who may have all the knowledge they need, but who lack the key trait of humility. You can read it here: He (and They) Must Not Be a Novice.) Jesus Christ vs Christ Jesus Both terms are used in the Bible. Is there a difference between them? The Saddest Plate Appearance of …

About Tim Challies

I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three children. I worship and serve as a pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Toronto, Ontario, and am a co-founder of Cruciform Press. learn more ›

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I wrote this short, fast-paced, practical guide to productivity to share what I have learned about getting things done in today’s digital world. It will help you learn to structure your life to do the most good to the glory of God.